


Mistakes

by the-black-birb (moriturism)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, Reader-Insert, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:41:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23149441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moriturism/pseuds/the-black-birb
Summary: Tsukishima Kei mistakes having a crush as hating someone. Drama ensues.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 266





	Mistakes

**Author's Note:**

> I simply cannot get enough of Tsukishima Kei!! Love my mans!!!!! And I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it :)

Subtlety wasn’t exactly your strong suit. Not when you were sad – you cried at  _ everything  _ – not when you were happy (you couldn’t contain it!) and  _ definitely _ not when you had a crush. You lived every day as honestly as you could, as you always had.

Although, this did seem to irritate some people. Specifically, Tsukishima Kei. You weren’t sure  _ why _ he minded. After all, you were simply being nice.

“Good morning, Tsukishima!” you greeted him. “You’re looking particularly stunning today.” You smiled brightly at him, as you did every morning, and took your seat in front of him. You turned around, unphased by his lack of response.

“Any plans for today?” you asked, head cocking to the side. He didn’t even look at you, placing his school bag on the ground.

“Tch.” He pulled out his notebook and a pen, looking through his notes. You leaned in closer, staring up at him and waiting for a response.

“Go away.”

You laughed dryly. “Right, right. Sorry for bothering you,” you replied, turning to your desk. You weren’t  _ dumb _ , you were in the same class as Tsukishima, after all. But you were certainly persistent. He wondered how many times you’d have this same conversation before you stopped annoying him.

Fortunately, you didn’t bother him during breaks between classes. You’d talk to your friends, and more recently make small talk with Yamaguchi. When did the two of you start talking? Tsukishima shook his head, he didn’t care. It didn’t matter.

Come lunch time, he stayed in the classroom with his homemade lunch from his mother. You left to buy lunch, like you normally did, and he was relieved to be free of your presence.

“When do you think she’ll stop joking around?” he asked Yamaguchi absentmindedly, opening his lunch. Yamaguchi looked at him with wide eyes.

“[F/N]?” He seemed surprised. Tsukishima’s grip on his lunch tightened.  _ When did he start calling her by her first name? _

Yamaguchi smiled at Tsukishima, as he usually did, and scratched the back of his head. “I don’t think she’s really j-”

“Hello friends!” You entered the classroom loudly, lunch in hands. Tsukishima glared up at you. Always friendly, Yamaguchi greeted you and moved from your seat, where he’d positioned himself to speak with Tsukishima.

You sat across from Tsukishima as Yamaguchi left the two of them and flashed him your signature smile. “A gift,” you announced, placing a carton of strawberry milk in front of him. On it was a small handwritten note that read  _ have fun at practice _ with a heart drawn next to it. Once he’d let it slipped that he liked strawberries, you did this for him  _ every day. _ He sighed, wondering when you’d let him go.

“Thanks,” he muttered, putting it in his bag, and continuing to eat his lunch. You ate yours as well, and he relished in the silence.

“So…” He sighed. Did you have to interrupt? “Did you see the new documentary on national geographic?’

“No.”

“Okay. Cool.” You weren’t about to push him to speak. The rest of lunch finished in silence.

Through class, you remained less annoying. Occasionally you’d pass a note his way and he’d ignore it. Sometimes, you’d ask for help with a question and he’d tease you (mercilessly) but help nonetheless.

Finally,  _ finally _ , the bell signaling the end of the day rang. He packed up his bag, getting ready to go to volleyball practice and get  _ away _ from you.

“Get home safe!” you said as he walked away with Yamaguchi.

“Sure,” he replied, ignoring you.

As he sped through the hallways, Yamaguchi struggled to keep up. He was trying desperately to get away. Yamaguchi, bless his soul, tried not to prod the bear too much, but he couldn’t resist.

“Why does she annoy you so much?” he asked curiously. Usually if someone bothered Tsukishima, he told them. Or he teased them and treated them so poorly they’d never do it again. He was quip and honest. At least, he usually was. But he let you walk all over him and said nothing about it.

“She has so much  _ energy _ ,” he replied. “I just don’t  _ get it. _ Why doesn’t she give up?” Absentmindedly, he took the strawberry milk out of his bag, drinking it. He kept your note in his bag.

Yamaguchi hummed in response, thinking. “So why do you keep all the notes she gives you?” He choked on his milk. “And stare at her in class?”

“I don’t stare!” he replied quickly. “She sits in front of me! I have to look at her to see the teacher.” His cheeks flushed red. He was certain he was  _ not _ staring at you.

“Right, right,” Yamaguchi replied, smiling knowingly. He dropped the topic as they headed to their club room to get changed for volleyball. It would be a long practice.

Tsukishima seemed more excited than usual to practice. Although he was never exactly  _ energetic _ , he was enthusiastic to take his mind off a certain  _ someone. _ That is, until he walked into the gym.

There, helping set up the nets for his practice, stood the one person he couldn’t get off his mind. He stormed up to you, ready to give you a piece of his mind.

“You-” He saw you fumbling with the net. “You’re doing it wrong. Give me this.” He took it from your hands, feeling your fingers brush together. Your hands were soft.

He did his best to avoid your gaze as he fixed it. He could feel your eyes burning through the back of his head. Normally, he'd get to practice late enough that he missed set up, but early enough that he wasn't late. Now, he regretted that as he too fumbled with the net. This was taking forever, and barely anyone was in the gym. His stomach was doing backflips, thinking about your eyes on him.

"What are you looking at?" He asked you when he finished, voice laced with venom. When he finally faced you, your eyes looked far away. It was as if you were anywhere but here.

You gave him a familiar smile, completely honest. "Tsukishima, did I ever tell you how beautiful your eyes are?"

Tsukishima breathed in harshly. The way you looked at him, the way you said his name, the way you smiled so carelessly...all of it made his heart pound so hard he could hear it in his ears. It made his words get so caught up in his throat, he wondered if he would stop breathing. He wondered how one person made him feel so  _ repulsed. _ It was like whenever he was around you, he couldn't think straight.

"Do you even think before you speak?" he spit back, avoiding her eyes. "You bother me in class and in lunch, and now you follow me to practice? Can't I get a break?" Tsukishima couldn't stand the way he felt when he was around you. It was addicting, and terrifying.

"Oh, sorry."

Finally, he looked at you. Your expression was present now, firmly grounded in reality. Were those tears peeking out of the corners of your eyes.

"It's just…" Your words trailed off, usual energy lost. "Hitoka couldn't be here last minute...she asked me to cover for her since she knew I talked to Yams…"  _ Yams. _ Tsukishima felt like he was being stabbed in the chest when you said that. "I promise I wasn't here to bother you. I'll just… I won't get in the way, I swear."

You walked away from him to go help Kiyoko. He'd never seen you like this. You were always bursting with energy, smiling. Whenever he insulted you, you'd just take it and roll with it. But there you were, head down and silent.

You didn't talk to him all of practice. Even when you started to compliment the other members blocks and serves, you said nothing to him.

Tsukishima wasn't wrong often. He was fairly smart, and even when he struggled in school he was always good at reading people. Still, he'd never thought he'd miss your voice more than your silence.

Practice ended solemnly. He left quickly, hasty to avoid being near you during clean up. Although they'd usually walk home together, Yamaguchi stayed back to help you clean because of  _ course _ he did. Tsukishima was beginning to think he was  _ your _ best friend instead of his.

Tsukishima tried to shake the guilt eating at him. It'd be fine. Tomorrow, you'd greet him with a smile like you always did. It'd be normal.

It wasn't normal.

Firstly, it was raining and he forgot his umbrella. He walked to school, thoroughly soaked and already in a bad mood.

Then, he walked into school and took his seat like normal, but you were nowhere to be found. He tried to shake the worry in the back of his mind, sure that it was just due to the rain. Sure, you were always there before him but that had nothing to do with last night. Surely. Still, his eyebrows were knit together. He was sure when you came in you'd tell him to relax. Such an expression was unbefitting for his handsome face.

You walked in just before class started. When he realized you were dry despite the clouds, he felt a weight he didn't know he was holding lift from his shoulders. He looked at you expectantly, waiting for your normal greeting and smile.

You said hello to your friends, and to Yamaguchi. Briefly, your eyes shot past him but quickly turned away. You sat in front of him without saying anything.

Class took forever. There were no notes sent his way, or questions about problems. You stayed facing straight forward the whole time. Finally, the bell for lunch rang. He thought it would never end.

You left the classroom and Tsukishima let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. The tension in the air was so thick a knife could cut through it. Yamaguchi moved to sit across from him, like he usually did, taking her normal seat. But he didn't say anything, instead staring at the blonde expectantly.

"What?" Tsukishima asked, taking out his homemade lunch. Yamaguchi shrugged.

"Nothing."

They ate in silence. You didn't come back from lunch until right before class started, and when you did you simply sat in front of Tsukishima wordlessly, sparing a small smile for Yamaguchi.

Class continued as stressful as it had ended. Tsukishima could feel the tension in his posture, shoulders hunched and head down. He couldn't bear your silence. He rested his head on his desk, trying to ignore the way his stomach got all messed up whenever he thought about how much he missed seeing you smile.

He didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until the bell signalling the end of the day rang. When he lifted up his head, you had already left class. Yamaguchi was standing in front of him waiting, holding an expression Tsukishima didn’t quite understand.

“You never sleep in class…” he observed. “She really messed you up, huh?”

Oh. It was pity.

Tsukishima groaned, head hitting his desk. He wanted to be annoyed with Yamaguchi. He wanted to act like he was better than that. He was Tsukishima Kei, how could he get so flustered over a  _ girl? _

But Tsukishima was smart, and he understood people very well. Right now, he understood one thing very clearly in particular.

“I messed up,” he said into his notebook.

“Hmm?” Yamaguchi was really trying to rub it in.

“I said I messed up!” Tsukishima slammed his notebook shut, shoving it into his backpack and standing up. “Whatever. We have practice.”

Yamaguchi followed his lead, a small smile on his lips. He knew as well as anyone else that Tsukishima was smart. He’d acted rather dumb for a bit, but Yamaguchi was sure he’d figure this out just fine.

When they got to the clubroom, you were outside the door waiting. Yamaguchi watched as Tsukishima’s steps slowed down, his shoulders rising. Before he had a chance to turn tail and run away, you approached the two of them.

“A moment alone please, Yamaguchi?” you smiled at him delightfully. Tsukishima wanted to throw up. Even your smile looked strained to him.

Yamaguchi politefully dismissed himself to the clubroom so that you could talk alone with Tsukishima. Tsukishima found himself staring anywhere but you. He looked at the sky, which had cleared up since this morning, and the door of the clubroom. Had it always been brass?

“I’m helping out again today,” you told him bluntly. He flinched, attention drawn to you. “I didn’t want to bother you, though, so I asked one of my friends if they could come instead in case I made you uncomfortable. Do you care?”

He  _ did _ care. He wanted you to be at practice. He wanted to show you that he was the best blocker on their team, and that he got along with his teammates even though it seemed like he didn’t get along with anyone. He wanted you to be a part of that part of his life, too.

“Do whatever you want. It doesn’t matter to me.” He walked into the clubroom quickly, where he knew you wouldn’t follow.

Yamaguchi looked at him hopefully. “What’d she have to say?” he asked, privy to whatever happened between the two of them. He knew it wouldn’t be  _ that _ easy for them to makeup, but he could hope.

“Nothing important,” Tsukishima replied nonchalantly. Why was he so disappointed it wasn’t anything more?

When they finally got to practice, you were there as promised. Tsukishima felt the knot in his stomach get pulled tighter. He couldn’t stand this. Practice was more difficult than usual. The whole time he felt eyes on him, burning into his skin. He’d never cared much before for how much he did during practice. If he played well that was great, but if he made a mistake it didn’t matter. Now, every small mishap and loss weighed him down more.

Occasionally, he’d look your way to confirm his fear that you were watching his every move, but you’d always have your eyes on someone else. Why did that make him feel worse?

The whole practice he had nothing in his head except for questions. Why did he feel so guilty?? Why were you taking up so much space in his mind? Why were you  _ here _ ? But, really, one was prominent above the rest.  _ Why _ in the world had he been so stupid?

He couldn’t get out of cleanup today as Daichi specifically asked him to help out. Tsukishima suspected it had something to do with Yamaguchi whispering in the captain’s ear, but he didn’t say anything. Any other day, Yamaguchi would stay after and help him so they could walk home together, so he didn’t mind.

“Sorry I have to get home right away, my cousins are visiting!”

_ Oh. _

It was just you and him.

The rock lodged in his throat was bigger than ever before. The silence was deafening. Wordlessly, he put away equipment and cleaned up around the gym. He just needed to clean and leave. He just needed to be quiet until you were gone. He just needed to-

“I  _ do _ think before I speak, you know.” He turned around to look at you. You were taking the nets down, and struggling. Of course.

Tsukishima walked over to you, shooing you away from the net. You moved to let him work, but kept your eyes on him.

It was the first time you’d look at him all day.

Suddenly, your eyes were like fire.

“So why are you always joking and saying stupid shit?” he muttered, speaking to himself more than to you.

“I’m serious.” He swallowed. There was no way you could say all of that with a straight face and mean it.

You pulled his arm away from the net, forcing him to look at you. “I’m always serious when it comes to you.”

The look in your eyes wasn’t far away from him, like it had been the night before. You were grounded, and determined. Like always, you were completely and totally honest. He wanted to shy away from your touch, and your fierce gaze, but you were positively magnetic. He couldn’t get away from you.

“I…” Tsukishima was at a loss for words. He couldn’t begin to express what he was feeling. He was  _ confused _ and you could see it, too. You let go of his hand, expression softening and a familiar smile dancing on your lips.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to respond,” you assured him. “I like you, honestly, but I get that you don’t feel the same way. I’ll stop bothering you in class, but please don’t doubt the truth of what I said. I meant all of it.”

He swallowed hard. He thought back to all the notes you gave him, which he kept firmly stuck to the back of his notebook. He thought about every carton of strawberry milk, and every “good morning.” He thought about how losing you meant losing all of that.

You walked away from him, to finish putting away the last of the equipment.

“Wait, [L/N],” he called after you. You stopped to look at him. You weren’t smiling anymore, and the intensity of your gaze was enough to stop him in his tracks. You  _ were _ serious. But if he wanted anything to change, he had to be too.

He thought about the metaphorically rock in his throat, and the butterflies in his stomach. Fear be damned, he spoke.

“I’m sorry.” Your eyes widened, caught off guard. “I was stupid and mean and I kept ignoring you because I thought there was  _ no way _ you could be serious about that and I’m sorry.”

You took in a sharp breath. You were scared, too, he realized. Still, you grinned up at him, a new look in your eyes. “How are you going to make it up to me, then?”

Tsukishima flinched. Here he was, being honest and vulnerable with you, and you were going to tease him? Seriously? Two could play at that game.

“Close your eyes,” he told you, expression serious.

You raised your eyebrows. “You think I trust you?”

He clicked his tongue. “Yes. Close your eyes,” he demanded.

You chuckled, but did as told. You resisted the urge to pucker your lips, fully expecting a smooch to your soft, pink lips. Instead, you got a smack to the back of your head.

“Don’t be stupid,” he teased. You pouted, but your expression lightened when you saw he had placed his Karasuno volleyball jacket firmly around your shoulders. Your cheeks flushed.  _ Oh. _

“I’ll buy you lunch on Sunday. Do you like grilled fish?”

You smiled at him again, the corner of your eyes crinkling. He could get used to seeing you with that expression.

“Is that a date?” You looked up at him hopefully.

Tsukishima cocked an eyebrow at you, worried about what he was getting himself into. “If I say yes, will you still go with me?”

“I’d be delighted to.”

From outside the gym, Yamaguchi let out a sigh. He knew the two of you would figure it out, eventually.


End file.
